MadSci Network: Other |
Ocean currents and waves are actually part of the same system, they just appear at different size scales.
When wind blows over the ocean, friction causes the surface water to pile up in the direction of the wind. This is what causes waves. You can do this yourself by blowing on a pan of water.
Ocean currents are also caused by the wind, but at a much larger scale (climate). You might notice that the wind tends to blow from one direction quite a lot where you live. In the Northern Hemisphere, the wind tends to blow towards the east far from the equator, but blows to towards the west (the "Westerlies") closer to the equator. This is due to the spinning of the Earth. This overal pattern of wind movement moves the water in a similar direction. The opposite is true in the Southern Hemisphere.
Of course, this is generally true of only the surface currents...there are also deep ocean currents that move much differently.
If you go to a library, a good text book on oceanography will give you nice diagrams showing all of the ocean currents.
Cheers Warren
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